He's running for New York mayor as a real estate foe. Why do some developers support him?
NEW YORK — Actor Scarlett Johansson blasted an email in December seeking donations for New York City mayoral candidate Scott Stringer, citing his commitment to small businesses, education and survivors of domestic violence. But she saved her most effusive praise for his work “to protect affordable housing against greedy, opportunistic landlords.”
“True to his word, to this day, Scott refuses to take any campaign money from real estate developers, because he believes so passionately in creating and preserving opportunities for affordable housing,” Johansson wrote.
Yet Stringer, a leading candidate in the race, is subsidizing his campaign with real estate donations he collected for years, up until progressive Democrats declared them verboten following Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s insurgent congressional victory in 2018.
And while publicly saying he will pose an obstacle to real estate, Stringer is quietly telling developers he will work with them if elected, according to more than half a dozen people in the business who have direct knowledge of his comments. Even as he attacks the industry in public remarks, leaders in development and business circles are offering him measured support.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/08/nyc-mayor-scott-stringer-467731